I went for my first ride on the road today. It felt great. My big concerns were with manuvering and if I would have the ability to keep myself safe in traffic.
Well, I did just fine.
I tried to stay on more level ground and in calmer traffic conditions. I ended up riding for 30 minutes along the La Jolla coast. It is a beautiful place to ride. Some traffic and plenty of pot holes.
I can tell that I have been on the trainer a lot because I didn’t have much problem in the way of fitness. My strength was not great, but I was a lot stronger than I expected. I’ve added some “core” workout stuff to my rehab that I got out of Bicycling magazine. That seems to have helped as I felt good on the bike too. My back felt good and I felt loose. Normally after a lot of time off the bike, you back fatigues and you are pretty stiff. At least I am that way.
The big test was getting out of the saddle. Well, I didn’t do too much, but I did a little. I felt ok. No pain in my knee. I could feel it a little as I was warming up, but no major pain. I’m going to focus on just high cadence and easy pedaling for a while. The few short hills I did were easy and I took it easy. I felt like I could have charged up, but I want to get everything back in sync first.